Naruto: You Call This A Medical Ninja?

Everyone who had been worried about Reiki's condition was stunned after hearing his words.

Is this guy not dead?!

He even heard their conversation just now?

At that moment, Nozuki stood up silently and walked over to Reiki.

"What's wrong, Nozuki?" Reiki looked at her, confusion evident on his face.

"Reiki, do you remember what I told you in the courtyard of the Land of Demons?" Nozuki raised her head, a smile spreading across her face.

That smile sent chills down Reiki's spine.

"The Land of Demons?" Reiki scratched his head. "What did you say?" He was taken aback by the sudden question. The memories of the Land of Demons were a blur, filled with witches, monsters, and the occasional beatdown he'd received from Nozuki.

"You mean…" Reiki's eyes widened as he recalled an incident.

"You know, I just cried because you faked your death again, so…"

Boom!

Nozuki's fist, imbued with her immense strength, smashed Reiki into the ground.

"Count me in. I've wanted to punch him for a while now!" Uchiha Shisui joined in. His concern earlier had turned into indignation after realizing Reiki's antics.

"Was that an act?"

"No way. I was ready…"

Nagato, his temper uncharacteristically flaring, stepped forward. He had almost used the Rinnegan's Samsara of Heavenly Life technique, only to discover it wasn't necessary. Furious, he took action too.

"There's no excuse. I just want to hit him."

Tsunade clenched her fists and charged. Jiraiya, shaking his head in exasperation, joined without hesitation. Yahiko and Konan, who had also been worried moments ago, decided they couldn't pass up the opportunity and jumped into the fray.

"Dingza, should we join?" Inuzuka Claw asked, hesitating as they watched the chaos unfold.

"Go ahead," Dingza replied with a sigh. "It would be rude to just stand here and watch." With that, Dingza launched himself into the brawl, followed closely by Claw.

The "beating" lasted over two hours. By the end, Reiki lay motionless, his combat effectiveness utterly depleted. While he could have escaped if he'd truly tried, leaving the others—except Nagato, with his Rinnegan—hard-pressed to stop him, he accepted the punishment.

He knew he deserved it.

Shisui and Nozuki's genuine worry and sadness had been real. Tsunade's regret, grief, and self-blame had been real. Nagato's loss, worry, and despair had been real.

All these emotions erupted because he hadn't thought to inform Nagato in advance. He'd been the catalyst for their frustration, and without a release, those feelings could fester and grow worse over time.

Still, Reiki couldn't help but think it was a bit much for even the Jonin squads, including Dingza and Claw, to join in.

Half an hour later, Reiki finally climbed out of the pit. Though he had been healing himself throughout the beating, he stayed down longer to make himself look more pitiful.

"Okay, stop pretending," Tsunade said, seeing through him instantly. "Now, tell us, what were you doing just now?"

Reiki chuckled sheepishly. "Hehe… Teacher, I just went to find some answers. I forgot to tell Brother Nagato, and that's where the misunderstanding came from. My bad!"

Nagato, still feeling guilty for hitting him, fidgeted. "It's fine…"

Reiki, sensing Nagato's unease, quickly changed the subject. "Teacher, what's the situation here?"

Tsunade, serious once more, explained, "The special training team members were indeed abducted by people working for Hanzo. We're planning to negotiate with him to understand his motives. If possible, I want to avoid war."

Nozuki frowned. "If it's already confirmed, why negotiate? Collaborating with the Kara Organization and attacking Konoha ninjas is unforgivable." Her personality, much like Kushina's, favored action over diplomacy.

"This girl's right," someone said abruptly. "Since it's confirmed, deal with Hanzo."

Boom!

A loud thud drew everyone's attention as a corpse was tossed in front of them. It was none other than the legendary demigod, Hanzo of the Salamander!

"Uchiha Madara!"

Tsunade was stunned to see the legendary figure. Her gaze shifted to Reiki.

"Don't look at me like that!" Reiki quickly defended himself. "This has nothing to do with me!"

Madara, unfazed by the reactions, said, "I came to see Reiki. On my way, I overheard your conversation about Hanzo. So, I dealt with him."

"The root problem is resolved. Let Rain Village handle the aftermath. Reiki, come with me."

Before anyone could react, Madara grabbed Reiki and disappeared. Yahiko, Konan, and Nagato stood there, stunned, unsure of what had just happened.